Printing-telegraph system



. June 24, 1939. s vHlLTZ'ETAL 1,767,128

PRINTING TELEGRAPH SYSTEM Filed March 21, 1928 awe/ x014 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE S. HILTZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND WILLIAM F. PURCELL, OF HO- BOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO STOCK QUOTATION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK PRINTING-TELEGRAPH SYSTEM Application filed March 21, 1928. Serial-No. 263,864.

This invention relates to printingtelegraph systems of the class in which the operation of the distant receiver or receivers is controlled by current impulses sent over a transmission circuit under the control of a plurality of local controlling circuits at the transmitter. More particularly the invention relates to systems in which the local controlling circuits are themselves controlled by a perforated tape or strip of paper or other insulating material which is fed between cooperating contacts in said control: ling circuits. Since the tape is non-conducting no current flows from one contact to another except when a perforation is in registry with the two. The latter can then close, permitting current to flow in the circuit with which the particular contacts are associated. More especially our present invention pertains to returning the transmitter and the receiver or receivers to unison, and its chief object is to provide automatic mechanism under manual control, by which the operator can cause the return to unison at any time in the'operation of the system.

Another object is to provide simple and durable apparatus for the purpose, positive in operation and capable of use for long periods without the necessity of frequent repair or critical adjustment. To these and other ends the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combinations of elements hereinafter described.

The invention can be employed in a considerable variety of systems, and of these we have selected for specific description and illustration herein the one described in U. S. Patent No. 1,711,497 and in our co-pending application Serial No. 263,362, 'filed March 21, 1928, in which the receiver isof the so-called ticker type, printing on a paper tape under the control of current impulses of alternating polarity the number of which in each group or train is controlled at the transmitter by a sunflower comprising an annular series of insulated contacts and a revolving wiper which passes over the contacts in succession and is synchronized with a pole-changing switch in such manner that as the wiper passes off one contact and onto the next the current in the transmission circuit is reversed in polarity. The system thus briefly outlined may also include the so-called magnetic shift mechanism de' scribed in our copending application Serial No. 144,230, filed October 26, 1926.

The accompanying drawing is a wiring diagram of the system referred to above, showing also in a diagrammatic way one of the various forms inwhich the present invention may be embodied.

In the drawing, 10 represents a receiver or ticker which may be of well known type described in the patent of George S. Hiltz, No. 1,085,124, issued January 27, 191%, having a printing or press magnet 11 in a local circuit, supplied with current from the main 12, and the third wire or grounded return 13,.under the control of 'a' relay 14.

The escapement magnets 15, 16 are in series with the transmission line 17, as is also the shift magnet 18 which determines which of the two receiver type wheels (not shown) will make the imprint, as explained in our copendin application. Serial No. M4230, above re erred to. The transmitter has a pole-changing switch comprising a pair of slip rings19, 20 and brushes 21, 22, 23 on a shaft 24driven by a constantly running motor, not shown, through a slipping clutch, not shown, which permits the shaft to be arrested without stopping the motor. Slip ring 20 has an insulating segment 20 which, as the shaft revolves, lifts brushes 22, 23 out of contact alternately. In the position shown, current flows from grounded brush 21 through magnet 25 of the polechanging relay 26 to the current-supply main 27. The armature of the relay, repre- I sented by contact 28, is thus attracted by magnet 25 andengages contact 29, and positive current then flows from main 27 through wire 30, contacts 29, 28, armature 81 of the repeat magnet 32, wire 33, magnet 108 (which controls the feed of the perforated tape through the contact mechanism as explained in'detail in our aforesaid copending application Serial No. 263,362), resistance and line wire 17 to the ticker press relay 14. When the-rotation of shaft 24 carries insulating segment 20 into cooperation with brush 23, brush 22 is then in engagement with ring 20 and current flows through magnet 36 of the pole-changing relay 26. Armature 28 is swung over to contact 37, whereupon negative current flows from main 38 through wire 39, contacts 37 and 28, and thence through the path traced above, to the receiver. In this way current impulses of rapidly alternating polarity are sent over the transmission lines as long as shaft 24 revolves. These impulses through the escapement magnets 15, 16 control in the usual way the rotation of the receiver type wheels (not shown) to bring the desired character to the printing position, whereupon the shaft 24 is arrested. The impulse last sent (of whatever polarity it may be) is thus prolonged, thereby energizing the slowacting relay 14 which then draws its armature over and closes the local circuit of the press magnet 11. The latter then actuates the receiver platen, not shown. As long as the shift relay magnet 40 is deenergized resistance remains in the transmission circuit; the current through shift magnet 18 is therefore too weak to energize the latter magnet, and hence all the imprints at the receiver are made from the same type wheel. W'hen, however, the circuit of magnet 40 is closed (as hereinafter described) the armature 41 is raised, thereby laying a shunt or short circuit across the resistance, thus strengthening the line current to a value sufficient to energize the shift magnet which then causes the next imprint to be made from the other type wheel.

The shaft 24 is arrested at the proper instant (when a sufficient number of current impulses have been sent to bring the desired character on the receiver type wheel to the printingposition) by an electromagnetic clutch or brake 42, which may be of a well known type, connected to ground and to the armature 42 of a relay 43. The latter is connected to main 38 through lower movable contacts 44 and upper pin contacts 45, 46, 47, 48. henever current flows through a contact 44 and any one of the four upper contacts the relay is energized and swings its armature over against contact 49, whereupon current flows in the clutch local circuit. Being thus energized, the clutch arrests the shaft 24 and the current then flowing continues to fiow, with the results described above.

The transmitter is also provided with a sunflower 50, comprising an annular series of twenty-eight insulated contacts, twentysix of which are shown marked with the let ters of the alphabet and two, diametrically opposite each other, are shown marked with dots, representing periods. The upper of these two is termed herein the letters period contact and the lower as the figures period contact. The sunflower contacts are connected to form seven sets of four'each, one contact of each set being connected to one of every other group. Thus, upon tracing the connections it will be seen that contact letters period is connected to contacts H, figures period and T, these four constituting a set. Similarly, contacts G, F, S, Z are connected together and so form another set. Each set is also connected to one of seven pin contacts 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 above the series of movable contacts 59. These may be spring brushes connected together as indicated, adapted to pass singly through perforations in the tape passed between them and the upper contacts 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57; or they may be in the form of a body of mercury, as in the contact mechanism described in U. S. Patent No. 1,711,497. The contact-set composed of contacts G, F, S, Z, for example, is connected to pin contact 57, and that composed of letters period, H, figures period and T, is connected to pin contact 51. Inside of the outer series of sunflower contacts is an annular series of four insulated contacts 1, 2, 3, 4, each spanning seven contacts of the outer series and connected to the pin contacts 45, 46, 47, 48 respectively. The sunflower also has a wiper 58, fixed on a shaft 58 which is connected with the motor-driven shaft 24 by reducing gearingtnot shown) of such ratio that the wiper makes one revolution for each fourteen revolutions of the shaft 24. Since two current impulses are transmitted in each revolution of the latter shaft, it will be seen that twenty-eight impulses are sent in each revolution of the wiper 58. The latter has two electrically connected fingers-bearing one on the outer contacts and the other on the inner, so that as the wiper revolves from the position shown in the drawing it connects inner contact 1 to outer contacts A, B, C, D, E, G, in succession, then contact 2 to contacts H, I, K, L, M, N, F, and so on. The contacts 44 may be brushes or a body of mercury, like contacts 59..

Suppose now that the letter A having been printed at the receiver it is desired to print D. Tracing the connections it will be seen that outer contact D is connected to pin contact and inner contact 1 to pin contact 45. Hence connection is made (through perforations in the tape) between pin 55 and the brush immediately below, and between pin 45 and the underlying brush of the group of brushes 44. (If, as in the system illustrated, the letters are on the type wheel which prints only when strong current is transmitted, that is, when the resistance 35 is shunted out of circuit by energization of the relay 40, connection must also be made, through an appropriately located perforation in the tape, between contact 66 and the underlying brush 44, which contact 66 is in series with the relay mentioned and battery Now as the wiper moves counterclockwise the pole-changing switch or commutator sends alternating impulses to the receiver, whose type wheels follow in unison with the wiper until contact D is reached and type D at the receiver is at the printing position. Current now flows from main 38 through wire 60, relay magnet 43, contacts 44 and 45, wire 61 to inner sunflower contact 1, across the wiper to outer contact D, thence through wire 62, pin contact 55, mercury contact 59, wire 63, unison key 64 and wire 65 to main 27. Relay 43, thus energized, closes the local circuit of the brake or clutch 42,7 and the latter arrests shafts 24 and 58. Letter 1) having been printed, suppose that the next letter is O. The circuit being broken at contacts 59-55 and 4445 the clutch is cleenergized, shaft 24 rotates and the wiper 58 moves over the sunflower contacts. Arriving at contact 0 the wiper finds the circuit of clutch relay 43 established through contacts 59-53 and 4744, whereupon the clutch is energized as described and (contacts 66 and 44 being also closed) 0 is printed. Inthis way the receiver type wheels can be rotated step by step to bring to the printing position any one of the characters corresponding to the respective outer contacts on the sunflower.

As previously stated the receiver has two type wheels. These are mounted on the same shaft, with the characters on one in axial alignment with those on the other. Since (in the present instance) each Wheel has twenty-eight character spaces each outer sunflower contact corresponds to two charac ters or character spaces, one on each wheel. In general one wheel has letters of the alphabet and the other carries numerals fractions, and any special characters or symbols that may be desired.- hen (in the system shown) it is desired to print from the second wheel. say a number or a fraction, or a special character, contacts 44 and 66 are not closed at the same time as the desired character-selecting contacts are closed, and hence resistance 35 is not shunted out and weak current is therefore sent over the line as er lained above.

r. will bc readily seen that accuracy of printing depends upon keeping the receiver type wheels and the sunflower wiper in step, or in unison as it is commonly termed. For instance, suppose that in the example of the printing operation described above, the ticker type wheel did not turn far enough to bring the D type to the printing position, or that it turned tooffar, thereby carrying I) past the printing position. Such a result may be brought about by any one of a number of causes, and it will be evident that thereafter the imprints will not correspond to the position of the sunflower wiper. In such case it is necessary to stop printing and brmg the type wheel and wiper to predetermined positions in which the conducting bar axially aligned with the tips of the fingers or arms on the wiper. Bearing on the cylinder are two brushes 71, 72, the latter connected to the group or series or" contacts 44 and the "former connected to a contact 67 below a key 64, provided for controlling the unison operation. Above the key is a contact 68, connected with the group or series of contacts 59. The brush tips, which cooperate with the bar 70, are axially aligned with the letters period contact on the sunflower, which in the sunflower shown is the upper of the two contacts marked with a dot. The key, which may be of the spring type, is normally in engagement with the upper contact, 68, and is connected by wire 65 to the positive main 27, so that the aforesaid contacts 59 are normally connected with the said main.

Usually the operator has before him a ticker in circuit with the distant tickers, so that he can know what is being printed by the latter. Suppose, now, that the tem gets out of unison. To bring it back to unison the operator simply depresses the unison key 64 to. neutral or mid-position, that is, far enough to separate the hey from contact 68 without causing it to engage the lowercontact. Upon tracing the connections it will be seen that this depression of the unison key breaks the circuit through the clutch relay 43, and hence the clutch cannot be energized to arrest the wiper even though the other contacts in the circuit be closed. The result is that the wiper will continue to revolve indefinitely, alternating impulses-will be transmitted, and the ticker type wheel will continue to rotate until by means (not shown herein) provided for the purpose at the ticker the type wheel is brought to rest with the letters period at" the printing position. lVhen-the operator sees this happen at his own ticker, he depresses the unison lrey 64 farther, bringing it down on the lower contact 67. This connects brush 71 to wire 65, which is itself connected with supply main 27. Remembering that the revolving bridge or bar 70 is axially aligned with the wiper, it will be seen that when the latter comes to the letters period contact on the sunflower the loo lilz;

bar will be under the two brushes, thus closing a circuit through the clutch relay L3 and thereby permitting current to flow from main 38 through wire 60, relay 43, contact at the left of the group le, wire 73, brush 72, bridge bar 70, brush 71, contact 67, key 6 and wire to main 27. Clutch relay 43, being thus energized, closes the clutch local circuit and shafts 2i and 58 are arrested with the wiper 58 on the letters period contact. The transmitter and the receivers are then in unison, and to resume the transmission it is only necessary for the operator to release the unison key so that it can break the circuit last traced and reestablish the normal transmission connection through wire 63.

It will be seen that in unison operation the unison key 64.- first opens the circuit of the clutch relay 4:3 and takes the latter out of the control of the sunflower and perforated tape, then lays a shunt (wire 73) across the sunflower to the clutch relay. This shunt includes what may be described as a secondary or auxiliary sunflower having a single contact, namely, the brushes 71, 72, and the contact support or carrier 69 having the contact bar or bridge 70. In the cycle of operation the brushes and con tact bar have the same relative positions as the letters period contact and wiper, so that the brushes and bar take the place of the latter mentioned parts and serve in their stead to closethe clutch circuit.

The perforated tape which controls the transmission may be passed between the upper contacts 51, 52, 53, 5st, 55, 56, 57, and e5, 4G, 17, 48, 66, and the cooperating lower contacts 59, 1%, by any suitable mechanism, preferably electromagnetic, which may be actuated by an electromagnet 108 under the control of a relay 108 in the transmission line 3317. Mechanisms of the type mentioned are described in detail in U. S. Patent No. 1,711,497 and in our copending application Serial No. 263,362, referred to above. The relay is of course timed to operate in harmony with the other parts of the system so that the feed of the tape will be effected at the proper time.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the speciflc construction herein described but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

Ne claim 1. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower having a revolving wiper, a-unison circuit across the wiper and normally open at two points, means operable at will for closing said unison circuit at one point, and means operating in harmony with the wiper to close the unison circuit at the other point.

. 2. In aprinting telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower provided with a revolving wiper, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling circuits for said means connected with the sunflower contacts, means operable at will for opening simultaneously all the control circuits independently of the wiper, and means then operating in unison with the wiper to close a control circuit when the wiper is in a. predetermined position.

3. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower having a unison contact and a revolving wiper, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling circuits for said controlling means connected with the respective sunflower contacts, means operable at will for opening simultaneously all the control circuits independently of the wiper, and means associated with the wiper for operation in unison therewith to close a unison circuit independently of the wiper when the latter is on the unison contact.

4. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower having a revolving Wiper, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling means therefor to stop and permit the transmission of current, controlling circuits for said control ling means connected individually with the sunflower contacts so as to be closed in succession by the wiper, means operable at will for opening all the control circuits simultaneously, and means associated with the wiper for operation in unison therewith to close a control circuit and thereby stop the transmission of current when the wiper is in a predetermined position.

.5. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a transmission circuit and means for sending current thereover, electromagnetic controlling means for said means to stop and permit the sending of current impulses, a sunflower provided with a revolving wiper, control circuits associated with said electromagnetic means and connected individually with the sunflower contacts, contact means common to said group and connected in said circuits, whereby said ciruits are normally open at the sunflower and at said contact means, and means operable at will and in unison with the wiper to lay a shunt control circuit across the sunflower and said contact means when the wiper is in a predetermined position on the sunflower.

6. In a printing telegraph system, in com bination, a transmission circuit and means for sending current thereover, electromagnetic controlling means for said means to stop and permit the sending of current, a sunflower provided with a revolving wiper, control circuits associated with said electromagnetic means and connected individually with the sunflower contacts, contact means common to said group and connected in said iii) lbU

circuits, whereby said circuits are normally open at the sunflower and at said contact means, a shunt control circuit connected across the sunflower and said contact means and normally open at two points, means for closing the shunt circuit at will at one point, and means operating in unison with the wiper to close the shunt circuit at the other point when the wiper is on a predetermined sunflower contact.

7 In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a transmission circuit and means for sending current thereover, electromagnetic controlling means for said means to stop and permit the sending of current, a sunflower provided with a revolving wiper and a driving shaft therefor, control circuits associated with said electromagnetic means and connected individually with the sunflower contacts, contact means common to said group and connected in said circuits, whereby said circuits are normally open at the sunflower and at said contact means, a shunt control circuit connected across the sunflower and said contact means and having normally separated contacts, a rotating member driven by the wiper-driving shaft in unison with the wiper to close contacts in the shunt circuit whenever the wiper is on a predetermined sunflower contact, and means operable at will for rendering the closing of the shunt circuit contacts effective to energize the electromagnetic controlling means and thereby stop the sending of current over the transmission circuit.

8. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a transmission circuit and means for sending current thereover, electromagnetic controlling means for said means to stop and permit the sending of current impulses, a sunflower prov1ded wlth a revolving wiper and a driving shaft therefor, control circuits associated with said electromag netic means and connected individually with the sunflower contacts, contact means common to said group and connected in said circuits, whereby said circuits are normally open at the sunflower and at said contact means, a shunt control circuit connected across the sunflower and said contact means and having contact brushes, a rotating member driven by the wiper-driving shaft and having a conducting bar arranged to engage said brushes whenever the wiper is in a pre: determined position on the sunflower; and contact means in the shunt circuit and common to the first mentioned control circuits, operable at will to open the latter circuits and render the engagement of the brushes and conducting bar effective to energize the electromagnetic controlling means and thereby stop the sending of current over the transmission circuit.

9. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower having a revolving wiper, aneans for sending current ov a transmission circuit, controlling circuits for said means connected with the sunflower contacts, said circuits including contacts operalole at will to prevent control of said means by said controlling circuits and sunflower, a unison circuit, and means operable for closing said unison circuit when said controlling circuits are open.

10. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower, having a revolving wiper, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling circuits for said means connected with the sunflower contacts, and'a unison circuit operable independently of said sunflower, to control said means, said unison circuit being normally open at two places providedwith contacts, the contacts at one of saidplaces being automatically closed at a given position of the wiper and the contacts at the other of said places being operable at will, 7

11. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower having a revolving wiper, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling circuits for said means connected with the sunflower contacts, and a unison circuit operable inde pendently of said sunflower contacts and of electrical connectign with the wiper.

.12. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower, a wiper rotatable relatively to said sunflower, a unison circuit electrically unrelated to said sunflower and wiper, said unison circuit being normally open at two places, contacts for closing said unison circuit at one of the two places at a. predetermined position of said wiper relative to the sunflower contacts, and means operable at will to close the unison circrlt at the other of the two places.

13. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower, a shaft and a wiper rotatable relatively to said sunflower, said wiper and shaft being electrically insulated from each other, circuit closing means carried by said shaft and insulated therefrom, a unison circuit having contacts adapted to be closed by said means, and means operable at will for closing other contacts of said unison circuit.

14. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower, a wiper rotatable relatively tosaid sunflower, a unison circuit electrically unrelated to said sunflower and wiper, contact closing means automatically operable to close contacts in said unison circuit in harmony with a predetermined position of said wiper relative to the sunflower, circuit means adapted to affect control or electrical cooperation of said wiper and sunflower contacts, and means for causing 2 break in said circuit means, said last named means being adapted to effect closure of contacts in said unison circuit after causing a break in said circuit means.

15. In a printing telegraph system, in

combination, a sunflowerfa wiper rotatable relatively to said sunflower, means for sending current over a transmlssion circuit, controlling circuits for said means connected with the sunflower contacts, and circuit means adapted to ali'ect control of electrical 1O cooperation of said wiper and sunflower contacts and of said controlling circuits Whereby the condition of the means for sending current over the transmission line may be changed at will.

16. In a printing telegraph system, in combination, a sunflower, a Wiper rotatable relatively to said sunflower, means for sending current over a transmission circuit, controlling circuits :tor said means connected with the sunflower contacts, a unison circuit, and means enabling alternate closings m contacts in said controlling circuits and in said unison circuit.

In testimony whereof We hereto aflix our signatures.

GEORGE S. HILTZ. WILLIAM F. PURCELL. 

